For nearly two decades, American Aquarium ha s pushed toward that rare form of rock - and - roll that’s revelatory in every sense. “ For us the sweet spot is when you’ve got a rock band that makes you scream along to every word, and it’s not until you’re coming down at 3 a.m. that you realize those words a re saying something real about your life, ” says frontman BJ Barham. “ That’s what made us fall in love with music in the first place, and that’s the goal in everything we do. ” On their new album The Fear of Standing Still, the North Carolina - bred band embod ies that dynamic, balancing their gritty breed of country - rock with Barham’s bravest and most incisive songwriting to date. “ In our live show the band’s like a freight train that never lets up, and for this record I really wanted to showcase how big and a nthemic we can be, ” notes Barham, whose bandmates include guitarist Shane Boeker, pedal - steel guitarist Neil Jones, keyboardist Rhett Huffman, drummer Ryan Van Fleet, and bassist Alden Hedges.